


In His Place

by J_J_Janson



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 06:22:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14970962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_J_Janson/pseuds/J_J_Janson
Summary: While trying to rebuild Grado, Ephraim is still grappling with the death of Lyon. However, he is reunited with Knoll, and the two find solace in shared pain.





	In His Place

Ephraim felt lonely as he snuck off from the diplomatic function. He waited for conspiratorial footsteps behind his own that would never come again. Sneaking away like this was something he used to do with Lyon and Eirika. But Eirika was too busy with her own responsibilities. 

And Lyon. 

Ephraim shook his head. He had to be at the top of his game to get away while Seth was on the prowl. Seth had only come to Grado with Ephraim to keep him on task. 

Sorry Seth.

After leaving the banquet hall, Ephraim had made his way to a deserted corridor that even the wallflowers missed. He climbed out a window, leaped into a nearby tree, and jumped from branch to branch until he got to the ground. And with that, Ephraim skulked away from the castle grounds.

Beyond escaping the politicking and bootlicking of the diplomatic event, Ephraim didn’t know what he wanted to do. Considering the finery he was wearing, getting pass-out drunk was just asking to be mugged. And it was late enough that there really weren’t any other places open. 

Ephraim found himself wandering the streets, a ghost haunted by ghosts. He may not hear Lyon’s footsteps behind him anymore, but Lyon’s weight was still on Ephraim’s shoulders. What could he do in his friend’s memory? He had tried to work to rebuild the relationship between Renais and Grado, but he quickly discovered that kind of work wasn’t for him. There had to be something Ephraim alone could do, right?

Just then, a sudden downpour sent Ephraim scrambling for cover. He decided to take shelter on the porch of a small house. Maybe Ephraim could wait a few minutes to see if the rain stopped. While he waited, he could think about something he could do to kill time beside wandering the streets.

But all Ephraim could think of were the stories Lyon had read to him growing up that started on a ‘dark and stormy night.’ Lyon and Eirika liked to joke that Ephraim hated reading, and even that he couldn’t read. Forde spread that joke around the castle so quickly it made Seth’s head spin as he tried to convince everyone that Ephraim could, in fact, read. But that was all it was, a joke. Ephraim did enjoy reading, to a surprising degree. But what he really enjoyed was Lyon reading stories to him. Lyon managed to breathe life into every tale he told, and Ephraim never enjoyed it quite as much when he read on his own. He hadn’t touched a book since the war started.

“It was a dark and stormy night,” a nearby voice recited, to the giggles of a group of children. 

One of the children spoke up, chiding the silliness of an adult. “Mr. Knoll, isn’t this the story of Jack and the Beanstalk? You’re just saying that because it just rained out.”

The reader let out a weak laugh. “Well, I thought it was funny. Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, on a dark and stormy night…”

As the story continued, Ephraim found himself listening in on the familiar voice. He knew who it belonged to, a man Ephraim hadn’t seen since the war ended. But all he could hear was Lyon’s voice. 

As the story reached its end, Ephraim gave a polite knock at the door. After a moment, a familiar face answered the door. The usually dour expression of Knoll was brightened by his attempts to stifle a laugh as children crowded around him. “Yes, may I help you?” After a moment, though, he realized who was standing at the door and gasped. “Prince Ephraim?”

Ephraim shushed him. “Don’t say my name too loud, or Seth will find me. May I come in?”

Knoll waded through children as he tried to step far enough back that he could open the door for Ephraim. “Be my guest, your highness.”

As Ephraim stepped through the door and carefully closed it behind him, he said, “Thank you, but there’s no need to be so formal. I just found myself listening to you read that story while hiding from the rain on your porch.”

One of the children, a brunette girl, piped up. “Mr. Knoll likes to come and read to us! Just like Mr. Lyon used to!”

Ephraim saw Lyon’s face crack with the effort of keeping on a fake smile. And Ephraim was certain his had done the same. “Yes, Prince Lyon would come by this orphanage and others when he had time and read to the children. I came with him once or twice. Recently, I’ve started doing it myself. I’m busy with my work, but I love doing this. Just as Prince Lyon did.”

Ephraim nodded, trying to hide his shaking. “Yes, Lyon used to read to me as well. He loved it. May I sit in?”

As soon as those words left Ephraim’s lips, the two men were carried away by a tide of children. “Yay! More stories!” “Let’s go I’m ready!” 

Knoll laughed as the tide carried him into a chair with several books piled beside it. Ephraim considered sitting among the children, but ended up leaning against a wall. And Knoll lept into another tale. Ephraim had noticed it the first time, but the way Knoll read sounded just like Lyon. By the end, Ephraim realized there were tears running down his cheeks.

As Knoll looked up from his book, he let out a quiet, “Oh,” that turned the attention of all of the children towards Ephraim. 

“Mr. Ephraim,” one of them said, “It’s supposed to be a happy story. Why are you crying?”

If it had been Forde, or Kyle, or even Eirika who asked that question he would have brushed it off. But he couldn’t bring himself to put up an act around these kids. “Sometimes happy stories can make you cry too.”

“Why?” one asked.

Ephraim thought about it. “Life has a lot of sad stories. And sometimes the happy stories remind you of the sad stories. But they make you feel better about those sad stories.”

All of the children stared raptly at Ephraim. Then, Knoll spoke up. “Actually, all grownups are just big crybabies like I am. Even a strong man like Prince Ephraim.”

The kids all nodded sagely. They knew Ephraim didn’t seem like the type to say something smart. 

Knoll flashed Ephraim an apologetic grin, a small thing that still had the warmth of the last coal in the hearth. It seemed he wanted Ephraim to look bad to make himself look good. Ephraim would let Knoll have this one.

Knoll picked up one last story, but promised the children they would have to go to bed after this.

Time seemed to pass in a heartbeat, and soon enough Knoll and Ephraim were waving goodbye to the children. 

After turning away, Knoll began to walk towards one of the poorer areas of the city. “Well, it was good to see you, Prince Ephraim. I hope you have a good night.”

“Let me walk you back,” Ephraim said. “I’m going to have to break into the palace, and I’ll have to kill some time before it’s late enough for me to try.”

Knoll let out a nervous laugh. “Well, that’s fine by me. Follow me.”

The pair was quiet for a while. Finally, Knoll worked up the courage to speak up. “Prince Ephraim, you knew Prince Lyon well, didn’t you? I mostly knew him through his work, but you were friends with him.”

Ephraim couldn’t hide the bitter laugh. “We were friends alright. He was the person I was closest to in the whole world, with the possible exception of my sister. He was smart, and gentle, and kind, more than anyone else I know. I did not appreciate how hard it was to be like that. I made the simple choice of being tough, and hard, and fighting without thought. And here I am, unable to rebuild Grado, while the Lyon I grew up with would have been on the front lines of change.” Ephraim never said the word love, he dodged it like it was a furious opponent. But the word still rang out for Ephraim and Knoll to hear.

“He was truly gentle. Prince Lyon, I mean.” Knoll would not normally open up about this, but Ephraim was someone who would understand. “He sought strength and power, to keep his father alive and to save our nation from disaster. He gave in to desperation and sold his soul. I was there as it happened, and I wonder what I could have done differently to support him better. I held him in the highest regard I can imagine, but all I could do was aid in the destruction of the demon who stole his face. The heart of darkness we thought would save our country came close to destroying the world. And it destroyed our ties with other nations that could help us prepare for the disaster.”

“You’ve at least found something to do. Making those children smile is a noble thing, Knoll. But all I can do is run from a meeting that was meant to restore ties between Renais and Grado. I was never one for politics. I came because I wanted to do what Lyon would have if he were alive. I left Eirika in Renais because I knew she could rebuild it far more efficiently than I. But once again I prove that I’m useless off the battlefield. I don’t know how to interact with the other dignitaries, and I can’t convince them that Renais wants to help them prepare for the disaster you warned us of.”

“That makes two of us. Part of why I go to read to the children is so I actually feel like I’m doing something. My allies and I haven’t been able to convince the nobility of Grado to work with Renais. It’s frustrating, and I understand why you’re having such a tough time of it.”

Before they could speak further, the rain resumed with a vengeance, pelting the pair and sending them scampering for cover. “My house is close!” Knoll shouted to be heard over the downpour. 

Before long, the pair were dripping all over Knoll’s living room. 

Ephraim removed his shirt and began to wring it out as Knoll said, “Prince Ephraim, would you like to borrow one of my-”

He stopped when he turned around and saw Ephraim’s rippling back muscles. The war had been over for some time, but Ephraim was still in top shape. And covered in scars. Knoll did not know where to stare.

“One of your shirts? Sure, thanks.”

Ephraim’s replay snapped Knoll out of his reverie. “Ah, yes, I’ll be back in a moment.” Then he ran back into his bedroom to change and bring Ephraim a change of clothes.

Removing his pants, Ephraim stood in his underclothes, still dripping wet. “Looks like I’m not getting back the the palace for a bit,” he mumbled to himself. Hopefully Seth was annoyed rather than worried. Ephraim worried about his blood pressure. 

Knoll returned, having quickly switched into a dry outfit, and tossed the biggest clothes he had to an almost naked Ephraim who he couldn’t bring himself to look at. He didn’t want to stare as Ephraim put on an outfit that was baggy on Knoll’s scrawny frame but that Ephraim could barely fit in. 

As he lifted the woolen sweater over his head, he caught the smell of ink and parchment. Knoll’s clothes smelled like books in the best way,  and Ephraim became distracted while enjoying the scent, before realizing he’d been sniffing Knoll’s clothes for a long time and pulled the sweater down the rest of the way.

Both men were suddenly feeling self-conscious. “You have a nice place here, Knoll. Not much in it besides books, but I like it.”

It was true. Knoll had the bare minimum amount of furniture, but there were numerous books scattered about. There were many piles of books on a variety of subjects all over the house. There were several shelves as well, but they were all filled to the brim and a couple looked like they’d fall apart if their contents were removed. 

“Thank you, I can never find much I want, except for books which I end up hoarding like some kind of greedy monster.”

Ephraim threw himself onto a couch. “I hope you don’t mind me sticking around. I can leave as soon as the rain dies down.”

“No, no, you should spend the night. Even if it stops raining, it will be late. And you shouldn’t sleep on the couch, I’d rather you take the bed.”

Ephraim shook his head. “I understand wanting to treat your guest right, but I’d feel bad kicking you out of your own bed. We can’t both sleep in your bed.”

Knoll blinked, and turned away to hide his blush. “Maybe we can.”

Ephraim, always bold, lifted Knoll into his arms. “Maybe we can.”

***

Seth was fuming when Ephraim arrived that next morning. But Knoll vouched for him when Ephraim said he was conducting ‘intimate diplomatic relations.’ Seth may have been able to spot an escape plan a mile away, but the innuendo was lost on him. 

“Well, today Duke Valgran will be hosting another party, and it will be a good chance for you to meet with the aristocracy of Grado. If you can come to an informal agreement, it will speed up any formal arrangements in the official meetings to come.” With that, Seth turned to lead Ephraim back to his chambers to change into fresh clothes. 

Knoll didn’t want to go to the party alone, so he awkwardly stood outside of Ephraim’s room while he changed. Ephraim had invited him in, after all, “You did undress me last night. Seeing my get dressed shouldn’t be any different.” 

But Knoll had hidden his face in his hands and said, “That was in the heat of the moment. I usually don’t act like that.” 

That made Ephraim laugh as he closed the door behind him.

Soon enough, the door was open again and Ephraim strode out. Knoll couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping. 

Ephraim cut a dashing figure shirtless, but his court finery made him a truly regal figure. With a single finger, Ephraim lifted Knoll’s jaw back into place. “Come on, Knoll. You said you’d help me manage these Grado politicians.”

***

Duke Valgran had been the bane of Ephraim’s existence throughout these diplomatic talks. An older man with a well-trimmed silver beard, the man was a statesman and the leading figure amidst the nobility. And, although there was no proof, Ephraim suspected he was one of the main instigators of the war with Renais. Seth had confided to Ephraim his own suspicions, that Valgran was putting off aid from Renais in order to fan the flames of resentment within the people of Grado. He would spend a few years rebuilding Grado’s infrastructure and military, and would then resume the war with Renais, and possibly the whole continent. 

Ephraim wanted to help the people of Grado, but he stood up against a man who benefited from Grado being left to solve its problems by itself.

There was, however, no proof of this, and Valgran was popular with the nobility, and the de facto leader of Grado. General Duessel did his best to temper Valgran’s influence, but he alone could not go up against the war hawks single handedly. 

And every one of Ephraim’s meetings with Valgran had gone poorly. He ran circles around the prince, who was still learning the subtleties of politics.

Ephraim stood in the corner of the dance hall, enjoying some punch with Knoll, when Valgran approached them. 

“Greetings Prince Ephraim. It seems you still believe yourself to be welcome in Grado.”

Ephraim was still getting used to dealing with these kinds of provocations. “Well, Duke, I believe you’re at fault for holding the best parties on the continent. I couldn’t help but stick around to attend.”

Ephraim patted himself on the back for handling that fairly well. All those times he’d run through potential responses to these provocations while lying awake in bed at night was finally paying off.

Valgran gave Ephraim a small bow. “I am grateful for your praise, Prince Ephraim. But I do hope you have given up on wasting our time. This business of “aid” is exhausting my patience. Grado does not wish to be in debt to Renais.”

“I disagree, Duke,” Knoll said, speaking up for the first time. While the conversation had been happening in a corner of the dance hall, the entire room had been focused on Ephraim and Valgran. 

Now all of those eyes were turned to Knoll.

“And who might you be?” Valgran asked.

Knoll gave a small bow of his own. “I am Knoll, a mage and advisor to the late Prince Lyon.” Research assistant was probably more accurate, but Valgran didn’t need to know that.

The mention of Lyon sent up whispers among the gathered nobility. The young prince had been an unpopular figure among the nobility when he was seen as a weakling growing up. But once word went around that he was responsible for Grado’s militarization, he had became a martyr among the war hawks. 

“Well well, and what brings you here today Mister Knoll?” Valgran looked the shabby, quiet man up and down, trying to appraise this unknown element.

“You see, Prince Ephraim and I were just discussing the problem that Prince Lyon devoted himself to solving.”

“And what, pray tell, is that?”

“The complete destruction of Grado, in a natural disaster on a scale never seen before.”

The whisperings around the room went silent. 

While Ephraim and General Duessel had known of the coming disaster that Lyon sought to prevent, they had resisted leaking that information. Neither would be seen as a credible source. But Knoll had been involved in that research, and had been a confidant of Lyon’s. His proclamation carried a great deal of weight.

Valgran had gone pale. “Whatever do you mean, Mister Knoll?”

“Prince Lyon and I were able to peer into the future, if only to get a glimpse. And what we saw shook us to our core: in the near future, likely in the next few years, Grado will suffer the worst natural disaster in recorded history. Desperate times called for desperate measures, which is why Prince Lyon put Grado on the path to war. However, I have come to believe that was a mistake. And so, I hope to work with Prince Ephraim to rebuild our nations after the war, but also to prepare Grado for the coming disaster.”

Prince Ephraim spoke up. “You suspected my intentions, and claim that I wish to put Grado in the debt of Renais. That is untrue. I was aware of this looming crisis, but knew I would not be a seen as a credible source. I wished to minimize the coming destruction so that Renais would not have to bear the burden of all the refugees that would flee Grado’s destruction. If your nation is prepared for the disaster, there will be less of a burden on Renais when that time comes.”

Ephraim didn’t like having to rationalize his desire to help the common people of Grado, which he did simply because he believed it was right. But Valgran and these other politicians saw actions done in charity as suspicious. They did everything solely for their own gain, and could not imagine someone doing the same. Ephraim was viewed as suspicious because they could not ascertain his motive. But, thanks to Knoll, they’d crafted one for the benefit of the nobility.

Valgran, pale as a ghost, nodded. “Yes, I can see why you would be worried. I am grateful for your concern, and would be eager to meet with you with a number of other nobles to discuss this further.” 

Ephraim nodded at the older man. “It would be my honor.”

***

Ephraim and Knoll lounged on a balcony, taking in the sunset. The two lay together on a simple couch that had been set out for just such an occasion. 

Knoll’s hands were still shaking. “So I really looked cool and confident? You really thought so?”

“You were almost as cool as me, which is pretty impressive,” Ephraim bragged. “I am, after all, the coolest prince of Renais.”

Knoll blinked. “You’re the only prince of Renais.”

“Well, you could be one if you liked.”

“What?”

Ephraim stopped. “I think if you married me you’d technically be a prince. Is that how that works? I never really paid attention. Ah well, I’m getting ahead of myself. Would you like to try out this relationship thing? I promise I’m serious about it.”

Knoll hesitated. “Ephraim.” He forced himself to say something, just letting the words come out. “I’m still figuring this out, and I don’t mean to say it’s anything you’re doing wrong or anything it’s just.” He went quiet. “I still have feelings for Lyon. I don’t think I’m, well, over him.”

Ephraim ruffled Knoll’s hair. “You aren’t the only one. Lyon was something special. I still have feelings for him, but I don’t think that diminishes my feelings for you. Or any you might have for me. If anything, it just means we have good taste.”

Knoll nestled against Ephraim’s shoulder. “Who’d think you’d fall for two different dark mages set on destroying the world.” Ephraim stiffened, and Knoll just chuckled. “I’m just kidding. I’m trying out this ‘being funny’ thing. Still getting the hang of it.”

“Well hopefully we’ll have a long time together for you to figure it out.”


End file.
